New Hillsborough tribute play unveiled

'Their Scarves were Red' will be shown at Liverpool’s Unity Theatre next spring

A leading Hillsborough campaigner spoke of her appreciation as it was revealed that a new production which will pay tribute to the 96 is set to be unveiled.

Margaret Aspinall, Hillsborough Family Support Group chairwoman, said that she was “grateful for the support” when it was confirmed that the play – called Their Scarves were Red – will be shown at Liverpool’s Unity Theatre next spring.

The HSFG will benefit from 25% of the proceeds from the show’s sales.

Mrs Aspinall said: “I’m pleased to support this project.

The play shows a little bit of the Hillsborough story.

It’s a nice musical and I don’t think that anybody will be offended by it. It is very moving and it is very well put together.

“I was contacted by Mike Bearcroft from Their Scarves Were Red company and I was pleased with the idea. It raises the profile of our campaign and we are grateful for the support.

“I’m happy that it will be at the Unity Theatre because Everton’s chairman, Bill Kenwright, is a patron there and he is a big supporter of the families in our group.

The venue is also a lovely setting to show the musical.”

Mrs Aspinall, who lost her 18-year-old son James at the tragedy, will be invited to rehearsals to be updated on the play’s progress.

The 90-minute show, which will tell the fictional story of two Liverpool fans travelling to Sheffield on the fateful day in 1989, contains a mixture of powerful ballads and comic songs.

Producer Mike Bearcroft said: "The play has been produced as an uplifting and fitting tribute to the 96 who lost their lives. It’s about two Liverpool fans travelling to the game at Hillsborough. It's about the people they meet along the way and the situations they get into, which makes for a comical, sad, thought-provoking piece of theatre, with powerful musical numbers.

"It is, however, entirely fictional and it is supporting the Hillsborough Family Support Group who will receive 25% of the proceeds from the production."

He added: “I was looking for material for a summer school [that I’m involved in] and I thought it was a good idea to produce this. It was written by Darren Vallier and Rob Sweetman and their material is original.

“What I like about the script is that it is different from anything I’ve done before. It’s beautiful. The music has been likened to Blood Brothers and it’s similar to Les Miserables. There will be a fifty-fifty split between singing and dialogue.

“I had met Margaret Aspinall before and I said I wanted to do something for the HFSG. I discussed the idea with her and I said that it made perfect sense to put the play on in Liverpool.

“It will be directed by a West End director and a Back To Broadway director, whose identities remains secret at the moment. The cast will be picked from the past and present people from the Liverpool Theatre School and it will showcase their talents. Hopefully, it will go world-wide.”

Rehearsals will begin on October 1 and the world premiere will be shown on April 8, 2014. Tickets will go on sale on September 30 at the website unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk .

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